In the prior art there is no known therapeutic agent that has been specifically used in the treatment of trauma to the skin, for example burns, sunburn and frostbite. The general prior art approach to skin trauma therapy has been limited to symptomatic treatment and the use of specific medicaments for the alleviation of pain, infection and electrolyte imbalances. Various types of bandages have been used as protective layers for the affected areas of the body and these have contained different anesthetic and anti-infective agents.
The applicant has discovered that a certain class of chemical substances is capable of exerting a profound effect on traumatized tissue, particularly burns, sunburn and frostbite. These compounds promote healing of skin tissue and aid in preventing or alleviating the damaging effects of trauma on the skin of the mammalian body. These chemical substances are characterized by an ability to interfere with the action of the calcium calmodulin complex in vivo in the mamaliam body. This effect has been observed when these chemical substances have been utilized topically or parenterally. Compounds that may be utilized for this purpose include those phenothiazines, thioxanthenes, butyrophenones, diphenylbutylamines, dibenzodiazepines, benzodiazepines, dibenzazepines and naphthalenesulfonamides, which have the aforesaid activity to interfere with calcium calmodulin activity. Accordingly it is a primary object of this invention to provide a novel composition and methods for treating trauma to the skin.
It is also an object of this invention to provide novel compositions and methods for preventing or alleviating the damaging effects of thermal and radiant energy produced by fire, steam, heated metal objects, hot fluids, thermonuclear explosions, exposure to sunlight, exposure to industrial ultra-violet sources and the like that cause burns and sunburn.
It is also an object of this invention to provide novel compositions and methods for preventing or alleviating the damaging effects of frostbite.
These and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a review of the detailed descriptions of the invention.
Compounds which are characterized by an ability to bind the protein calmodulin in vivo are known in the prior art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,443,446 describes these compounds and their use as vaginal contraceptives. Many of these compounds have also been used for their antipsychotic action.